Handmaid's Tale Season 2

[Anonymous]

This show is so good! I binged the first season and am really enjoying watching this second season once a week. For some reason I forget so much when I binge-watch anything.

[Anonymous]

Loved this episode. The cracks are starting to show around Gilead.

Gilead’s whole raison d’etre, per Serena, is to ensure healthy babies are born and the human race lives on. In Serena’s mind, everything she does serves to justify that purpose. Of course, as they are starting to figure out, a society where women can’t thrive is one where children can’t thrive either. It’s becoming increasingly obvious that the men ruling Gilead care more about asserting their power over everyone else than about producing healthy babies - this is why Fred refused to allow the female neonatologist to see Charlotte. Also, when Serena was confronted by Fred and she said “I did this to help a child; what greater duty is there?” Frank replied, “Obeying your husband.”

Serena is a proud woman, but I think she will turn against Gilead in the future once she realizes what Gilead is *really* about (men, not children). All she wants is to save the children. They’re showing her in a more sympthetic light now, and she appeared more empathic to the Handmaidens as mothers in this episode.

Side theory: I suspect Serena is not infertile after all. We know that Fred couldn’t get June/Offred pregnant. How are we to know that Serena is infertile when she hasn’t been with any other men? I see the “barren woman” label potentially pushing her over the edge somehow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Loved this episode. The cracks are starting to show around Gilead.

Gilead’s whole raison d’etre, per Serena, is to ensure healthy babies are born and the human race lives on. In Serena’s mind, everything she does serves to justify that purpose. Of course, as they are starting to figure out, a society where women can’t thrive is one where children can’t thrive either. It’s becoming increasingly obvious that the men ruling Gilead care more about asserting their power over everyone else than about producing healthy babies - this is why Fred refused to allow the female neonatologist to see Charlotte. Also, when Serena was confronted by Fred and she said “I did this to help a child; what greater duty is there?” Frank replied, “Obeying your husband.”

Serena is a proud woman, but I think she will turn against Gilead in the future once she realizes what Gilead is *really* about (men, not children). All she wants is to save the children. They’re showing her in a more sympthetic light now, and she appeared more empathic to the Handmaidens as mothers in this episode.

Side theory: I suspect Serena is not infertile after all. We know that Fred couldn’t get June/Offred pregnant. How are we to know that Serenaded is infertile when she hasn’t been with any other men? I see the “barren woman” label potentially pushing her over the edge somehow.

I thought we knew she was infertile bc she got shot in the stomach earlier. She knew she could never get pregnant.

Why are they against IVF to produce healthy babies?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Loved this episode. The cracks are starting to show around Gilead.

Gilead’s whole raison d’etre, per Serena, is to ensure healthy babies are born and the human race lives on. In Serena’s mind, everything she does serves to justify that purpose. Of course, as they are starting to figure out, a society where women can’t thrive is one where children can’t thrive either. It’s becoming increasingly obvious that the men ruling Gilead care more about asserting their power over everyone else than about producing healthy babies - this is why Fred refused to allow the female neonatologist to see Charlotte. Also, when Serena was confronted by Fred and she said “I did this to help a child; what greater duty is there?” Frank replied, “Obeying your husband.”

Serena is a proud woman, but I think she will turn against Gilead in the future once she realizes what Gilead is *really* about (men, not children). All she wants is to save the children. They’re showing her in a more sympthetic light now, and she appeared more empathic to the Handmaidens as mothers in this episode.

Side theory: I suspect Serena is not infertile after all. We know that Fred couldn’t get June/Offred pregnant. How are we to know that Serenaded is infertile when she hasn’t been with any other men? I see the “barren woman” label potentially pushing her over the edge somehow.

I thought we knew she was infertile bc she got shot in the stomach earlier. She knew she could never get pregnant.


Why are they against IVF to produce healthy babies?

Generally anti-technology and advocates of returning to "nature." One nonsensical piece though is the idea that the commanders wouldn't simply have their sperm tested to determine fertility.

[Anonymous]

I thought for sure it was going to come out that the reason baby Angela/Charlotte was ill was because Naomi was abusing her. This episode really got to me, I don't know if I could have handled a baby dying!!

[Anonymous]

Love love love this episode. I will watch it again. I cried when all the Americans were singing in the living room.
And I loved that it ended with my favorite Rihanna and Sza song

[Anonymous]

Ahhh next week's preview! Anyone think something is going on with Eden and the guard?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ahhh next week's preview! Anyone think something is going on with Eden and the guard?

I think we need Eden's backstory to figure her out. I assume she is the daughter of a handmaid who was separated from her family around age 8, and raised by the ruling class? If she was from an eco-family, I don't know that she would be so indoctrinated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Loved this episode. The cracks are starting to show around Gilead.

Gilead’s whole raison d’etre, per Serena, is to ensure healthy babies are born and the human race lives on. In Serena’s mind, everything she does serves to justify that purpose. Of course, as they are starting to figure out, a society where women can’t thrive is one where children can’t thrive either. It’s becoming increasingly obvious that the men ruling Gilead care more about asserting their power over everyone else than about producing healthy babies - this is why Fred refused to allow the female neonatologist to see Charlotte. Also, when Serena was confronted by Fred and she said “I did this to help a child; what greater duty is there?” Frank replied, “Obeying your husband.”

Serena is a proud woman, but I think she will turn against Gilead in the future once she realizes what Gilead is *really* about (men, not children). All she wants is to save the children. They’re showing her in a more sympthetic light now, and she appeared more empathic to the Handmaidens as mothers in this episode.

Side theory: I suspect Serena is not infertile after all. We know that Fred couldn’t get June/Offred pregnant. How are we to know that Serenaded is infertile when she hasn’t been with any other men? I see the “barren woman” label potentially pushing her over the edge somehow.

I thought we knew she was infertile bc she got shot in the stomach earlier. She knew she could never get pregnant.


Why are they against IVF to produce healthy babies?

Generally anti-technology and advocates of returning to "nature." One nonsensical piece though is the idea that the commanders wouldn't simply have their sperm tested to determine fertility.

I don’t think it’s that nonsensical. In the book, it was implied that the powerful older men were all infertile because of some experiments gone wrong with biological warfare that was intended to be used in Asia. The men know they are mostly infertile, whether they will admit it or not, and it’s all a big lie or open secret to maintain the power structure. They probably know or suspect on some level that the handmaidens are mostly getting pregnant through the use of young men like Nick. In the book, the wives were basically all setting that up because they knew it was the only way to get a baby—they were trading the drivers around like stud dogs.

Does anyone know whether Canada has the same fertility problems? I can’t remember why the US had such toxic sludge (nuclear weapon accident?) and of it affected Canada or other countries. I also would like to know what’s going on in like California or Florida.

[Anonymous]

In the book I thought there was a STD that had left the majority of the population infertile? I'm going to go grab my book and double check.

We know Mexico had a similar problem when they came to visit in Season 1 of the show.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ahhh next week's preview! Anyone think something is going on with Eden and the guard?

I think we need Eden's backstory to figure her out. I assume she is the daughter of a handmaid who was separated from her family around age 8, and raised by the ruling class? If she was from an eco-family, I don't know that she would be so indoctrinated.

That makes me think of the Stalinist orphanages for kids whose parents were killed by Stalin in the purges. They were raised to adore Stalin and the regime and totally indoctrinated. Some of them realized how badly they’ve been used when they were older, but it’s hard for a kid. There’s a bit in the book where June sees girls getting married and thinks that they are old enough that they probably still remember wearing jeans and riding their bikes to their friends’ houses, but that in a few years that won’t be true anymore. You would think Eden would still have memories from before Giles’s. But I guess it’s also possible that she came from an unhappy or abusive home and her pre-Gilead memories are not good either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serena will be tempted next week. I'm very excited to see what she chooses.

I'm pretty sure she won't betray her husband and Gilead, even if she is tempted. Remember she is one of the architects of this world, even if she has suffered in its execution.

Yes, but I think she will take the deal. I'm not sure she was ever beaten before. Right now she is embarrassed and sad, but soon she will be pissed.

I don’t know about never been beaten before— she seemed to know exactly what she was expected to do.

Yep.

But it’s ritualized violence so she might know the ritual without having been subjected to it before, right? Even in today’s world, there are these wacky “Christian” sects that preach a form of ritualized violence to train women and children to be obedient. I would imagine Serena is familiar with their version of that literature (and maybe even wrote it), but she’s never been disobedient before so never had to be disciplined in that manner. I agree that it may result in a long-term rage, as she feels that Gilead’s goals (promoting live births and punishing “bad” women) have been twisted. I wish there was a way to show her those state run whore houses—that would really piss her off!

[Anonymous]

I think Eden and the guy that hit Janine are the ones that will be hung. Remember the season 2 promo a man and woman were on the wall. The man in all black. Next week is going to be good!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In the book I thought there was a STD that had left the majority of the population infertile? I'm going to go grab my book and double check.

We know Mexico had a similar problem when they came to visit in Season 1 of the show.

In the book I can't find a reference to say why there are so many infertile people.

Page 61 talks about male fertility: OB/GYN Doctor talking to Offred,

"Most of those old gusy can't make it anymore," he says. "Or they're sterile."

I almost gasp: he's said a forbidden word. Sterile. Ther is no such thing as a sterile man anymore, not officially. There are only women who are fruitful and women who are barren, that's the law.

In a New Yorker interview with Attwood she stated that she kept clipping recent headlines (early 80s) about a decline in birthrates and repressive policies on contraception and abortion. But I can't find confirmation on why birthrates were falling within the book (not that it matters too much in the show).

Regarding Serena (her real name is Pam): in the book she had a cane. It does say someone tried to shoot her and missed. Someone else tried to put a bomb in her car, but it went off before she was in the car (page 45).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serena will be tempted next week. I'm very excited to see what she chooses.

I'm pretty sure she won't betray her husband and Gilead, even if she is tempted. Remember she is one of the architects of this world, even if she has suffered in its execution.

Yes, but I think she will take the deal. I'm not sure she was ever beaten before. Right now she is embarrassed and sad, but soon she will be pissed.

I don’t know about never been beaten before— she seemed to know exactly what she was expected to do.

Yep.

But it’s ritualized violence so she might know the ritual without having been subjected to it before, right? Even in today’s world, there are these wacky “Christian” sects that preach a form of ritualized violence to train women and children to be obedient. I would imagine Serena is familiar with their version of that literature (and maybe even wrote it), but she’s never been disobedient before so never had to be disciplined in that manner. I agree that it may result in a long-term rage, as she feels that Gilead’s goals (promoting live births and punishing “bad” women) have been twisted. I wish there was a way to show her those state run whore houses—that would really piss her off!

Or because he has beat other Marthas and Handmaids. The last one hung herself so they could have had more problems before that.